The latest episode of The Walking Dead was marketed as fan favorite Danai Gurira’s final appearance on the show, and it seems that this was enough to convince a lot of folks who’ve stopped watching the post-apocalyptic drama to come back to see how Michonne was written out.
Episode 10×13, titled “What We Become,” saw ratings rise to the highest figures since the season 10 premiere last October. 3.66 million tuned in for the important installment. This is a solid step up from the previous week’s episode 12 and the midseason finale, which earned 3.49 and 3.52 million, respectively. It currently sits at the second-largest figure of the season behind 10×01 “Lines We Cross,” which received 4.00 million viewers.
In comparison to this place in the season last year, though, that figure is still a big comedown. Season 9’s thirteenth episode raked in 4.83 million viewers. So, that just goes to show how much the average ratings have shifted since 2019. On the other hand, “What We Become” was still the number one most-watched cable TV show of the evening of March 22nd, so it’s clear that figures are simply dropping across the board.
Those 3.66 million eyeballs witnessed a key episode in the unfolding cross-media narrative of the TWD saga, as Michonne’s exit directly ties into the upcoming theatrically released movies starring Andrew Lincoln. The heroine discovered irrefutable proof that Rick Grimes is still alive and so set off in search of her lost lover, who she believed had died over six years ago. It’s still yet to be officially confirmed, but it’s clear that Gurira will return in those films.
The Black Panther actress has been a leading presence on the series since the beginning of season 3, so it’s no surprise that her last episode was more of a must-see for fans then even the recent midseason finale (which earned 3.21 million viewers). Hopefully these figures will give the next episode a boost as well.
The Walking Dead continues with 10×14 “Look at the Flowers” this Sunday on AMC.